Mr. Gonzales was born Feb. 19, 1956, in Mathis to Victoria and Oscar Gonzales. He married Enednina Reyes in McKinney on June 11, 1975, and was a Catholic. He was a corrections officer for 16 years and a Bee County jailer for five years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar and Victoria Gonzales; his adoptive parents, Jose Manuel and Candelaria Gonzales; and a sister, Margarita Peña.